


Never Ending

by abigailamidala



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Red String of Fate, Romance, Soulmates, Vampire Hunters, Witches, a bit of smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-11
Updated: 2016-07-11
Packaged: 2018-07-22 23:51:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7458496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abigailamidala/pseuds/abigailamidala
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gervaise is a dragon shapeshifter, Aurelia is an elemental witch. He's hunting vampires, she's fighting them to keep her family and town safe. As fate would have it, they meet and the universe declares them as soulmates. But Aurelia is stubborn and tries to distance herself from her one true mate, for reasons she'd like to forget but can't. The story of how they meet and the beginning of their never ending love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Never Ending

**Author's Note:**

> Hello people of AO3 and guests from the internet! This beautiful fic is the product of collaboration from a friend of mine and myself, characters created by us and only us. This fic is sort of my gift to him for being such a good friend throughout the years, and is also an earlier version of another OS I'm currently working on. Enjoy!

Gervaise was six when the blood suckers descended on his neighborhood. There was probably a dozen of them, but they moved quickly. The whole block was taken out that night. Gervaise’s parents woke him from a deep sleep only children at peace could find. They didn’t even get to shift before a pair of the monsters broke in through the window. Gervaise watched through a crack in the closet as they fought, but one of them had punched a hole straight through his mother’s chest, ripping out her heart. That distracted his father long enough for the second assailant to slice his throat with his razor sharp claws.  


Gervaise bit down on his hand in order to keep from screaming. The next few minutes were torture as he watched the two feast on his parents’ bodies, blood dripping down their chins as they laughed.  


“We dine like kings tonight, Phoenix. Blood of the dragons.” The bigger one yelled, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. The second one nodded, mirroring his actions.  
“Will it give us special powers, Cain?”  


“No, my boy. But it is tasty. Come, we must go. The others will leave without us.”  


The two jumped out the window, and Gervaise spent a painful amount of time waiting until he came back into his room, broken sobs sticking in his throat. His body was on fire with all kinds of pain as he crawled over to the broken body of his father. His hands were slick with blood by now. Gervaise cried out, his voice echoing and deepening to a roar as he screamed. His bones shifted and grew, his skin splitting. He turned slowly, blood boiling and scales growing.  


It was the first time he ever shifted into a dragon. He had stayed in that form for a few days until he had calmed down enough. He burned the remains of the neighborhood done with his fiery breath, allowing everyone to a funeral somewhat like his ancestors. Fire to fire, his mother would say.  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  


Aurelia’s mother had been doing a standard spell, Aunt Rose had said at first. The ingredients had been hexed by the fairies she had bought them from - they must have been. The truth wouldn’t come out for many years. Aunt Rose and Aunt Evangeline had settled the funeral arrangements and within a few days Aurelia sat with Damian and Sarah at the graveside.  


“Remember Aura, death is not the end... You’ll see your mama again.”  


“But I want to see her now,” Aurelia cried. She was nine.  


The next year, Aurelia had chosen their specialty elements. Damian chose water, just like Aunt Evangeline and Sarah chose air. Aurelia chose fire, becoming the only witch in the family to ever specialize in the element. Aurelia wanted to become fire itself, to feel its burn, to feel the heat in her blood. She wanted to burn away all of her pain, her misery.  


As Aurelia grew up, she found herself in trouble more times than she could count, so she learned how to fight. Damian helped her to channel her powers into short outbursts, so she could hurl fireballs at her opponents. Aunt Evangeline had a friend who trained her in basic self defense, which made everyone feel better knowing the Aurelia had a chance in helping herself.  


Aunt Evangeline’s friend was the leader of the town’s werewolf pack. His name was Raz and lead a pack of 10 wolves, most of them runaways from nearby cities. Raz had a farm at the edge of town, just a few miles down the road from Aurelia’s home. He had retrofitted his farm to fit the needs of the pack, renovating the large barn so that it would serve as a training shed and had holding cells for those of the pack who were extra ambitious during each full moon.  


Aurelia was sitting in the expanded kitchen area in the farmhouse when she heard about the vampire attacks. Raz’s second in command had been passing through one of the towns in another state when they came. The town was a small settlement of shapeshifters, and once the vampires were done for the night, none were left living. The wolf, Eric, had fought off a few vampires during his escape. Luckily the night had landed close to a full moon, so Eric was able to change so that he could run home.  


A majority of the town had been of the dragon clans, with a small portion of bears and some wolves as well. The town had been one of the last dragon clans of shapeshifters left in the Eastern part of the country. Aurelia’s heart felt heavy that night, the pain almost equal to that of losing her mother.  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  


Tonight was the night. After fifteen years he had finally tracked down the Florenz coven, the vampires who were responsible for the attack on his hometown. He could feel his blood boiling as he watched the warehouse from a distance, flying high so that they wouldn’t smell him yet. He had been planning this for so long.  
There were three guarding the only doors in, and two of them were substantially skinny. Although their physical size had nothing to do with their strength, Gervaise could almost taste their demise. His jaws locked as he curled his wings inward against himself, dropping nearly straight downwards at a speed that would make even an eagle shifter dizzy. He unfurled his wings a few feet above the roof of the warehouse, slowing his descent. He changed midair, arms still outstretched as he landed on the shoulders of the smallest blood sucker. His knees twisted as they tumbled to the ground, breaking the vampire’s head all the way around with a snap.  


The second was on him in an instant, but Gervaise was faster. He felt the fire in his throat without even a second thought to provoke him, and he roasted the little bastard to a crisp. The third one had run off to get backup, which made Gervaise grin. He was due for a bit of a fight. It had been a while, and his claws were itching to be used.  


He kicked down the door to the warehouse, letting his enhanced sight kick in since it was almost completely dark inside. He could smell them, cold skin and blood hungry, watching him from the rafters. He wandered further in, seeing dark bars of cages along the walls, probably prey they had been feeding on slowly. Some of them still fought against the bars, screaming for freedom.  


Gervaise kicked himself internally, he hadn’t even thought about prisoners. Hadn’t even considered the thought that there would be innocents in the den. He would have to free them and help them get to safety once this was all over.  


One of the larger vampires dropped down behind him, with three more surrounding him on each side. He let his fingers shift into claws, his skin hardening to scale. He was getting a hand of shifting only partially during fights, it helped him to defend himself better against the blood suckers’ savage attacks. They were always random, so Gervaise always needed to keep his skin protected.  


The first one lunged, and Gervaise’s claws tore clean through his neck, blood spraying everywhere. The second and third were on his back and trying to use their strength to throw him around, but Gervaise drew on his strength to keep them from pinning him to the ground. He unfurled his wings and used to them to bat his two opponents away. The third one hissed.  


One of the prisoners shouted from her cage, arms pointing to which blood sucker to hit next. “The big one with the ugly mug! Watch out! Burn him up!” Gervaise found her comments both entertaining and distracting as he threw the blood sucker into the wall. He stalked up to the cage, banging against the bars angrily.  


“Are you trying to get me killed? You’re really not helping here….” His hand rested upon the same bar she held, but that wasn’t what stopped him in his tracks. Her eyes, big and brown, met his own. Her dark hair was matted and coated in dirt and blood, hanging around her face and giving her a wild look. Gervaise felt the world mute around him, his pulse slowing to a halt. He felt the pull at his wrist, at his heart. At his soul.  


She seemed to feel it too, her lips parting in a soft gasp as she dropped to her knees in shock. Gervaise dipped to catch her, hands reaching through the bars to steady her. Her skin was warm, almost too warm. “Did they hurt you?” he whispered, feeling every bit of his anger fade away. He felt no other desire than to stay rooted to this spot with this mysterious woman.  


“Only a little, but I can handle myself.” She smiled.  


“I’ll kill them,” Gervaise growled.  


“Good plan, get me out of here when you’re finished.”  


“Will do,” Gervaise let go of the woman, and turned back to find that the biggest one had gotten back up again, an ugly grin on his face. He bared his fangs and growled.  


“Dragon shifter, eh?” His voice was raspy, like he had been a smoker in his past life. Gervaise could smell the tar still sitting in his blood. “Thought we got rid of you all. The boss won’t be pleased to know that,” then he lunged.  


Gervaise inhaled, letting his lungs fill up with air before letting out short bursts at the bastard, who laughed gleefully. Gervaise caught him by the leg, swinging him around and throwing him against the mystery woman’s cage. She jumped back with an angry scream.  


“Watch it! I wanna get out of here alive!”  


The vampire laughed, getting back up and shrugging off his expensive coat. “Bet you didn’t think you’d find your mate here, did you, dragon?” Gervaise growled in response. “Too bad we’re gonna kill her, right after we take you out. I’m gonna feast on your blood.” Gervaise’s claws grew and sharpened, and he was waiting up until just the right moment to use them. The vampire ran at him again, at a blinding speed to most, but just slow enough for Gervaise to swing his arm at the guy and cut off his ugly head. The body thudded against his shoes and crumpled.  


Gervaise walked back over to the cage, feeling himself need to be in the cage too. “How do I get you out of here?”  


The woman reached out and pointed to the blood bastard’s coat, crumpled up on the ground just out of reach. “There’s a hex bag in there, burn it. It’s the only way of unlocking everyone’s cages.”  


“A hex bag? Why?” Gervaise felt the truth click just as he found the small bundle of herbs, breathing on it lightly to bring it to a flame. “Ohhhh. Witches.”  


The woman kicked at the latch on her cell, making it open smoothly. She strolled out, hips swaying. In the light of the small fire in his hand, he could see the reddish shade of her hair beneath the layer of dirt. “They caught us making traps for them,” she sighed, stepping closer to him than he had ever let anyone else be. “I’ll lead everyone back to town, you burn down the place.”  


“Deal,”  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  


“We should stick together now,” Gervaise suggested when he caught up to the female. She was walking far behind the small gang of witches that were heading back to civilization.  


“Why, because we’re a fated pair?”  


“Why not? I never thought I’d be paired with a witch.”  


“Nor I, a dragon shifter. Much less one of the last. That’s a big legacy to carry on,” She stopped walking, crossing her arms against her chest. He noticed the bumps that had started to rise on her skin and peeled off his coat, bloodstained as it was. Putting it on her shoulders he pulled her close, causing the strings of fate between them tighten.  


“I just found you, why would I want to give you up now?” he said softly, his heart thumping wildly in his chest.  


“You’ll see me again.” The girl turned on her heel and started to walk away, arms still crossed over her chest. Gervaise felt almost like she had slapped him with the way she had pulled away so quickly.  


“What should I call you? In case I come looking for you,” Gervaise called out, seeing her silhouette fade slightly in the darkness.  


“Aurelia, call me that.” She turned to see him, her form still moving backwards as she walked. “But don’t. Don’t come looking for me. As far as these things work, we’ll find each other again.” She smiled, before turning back around and sprinting to catch up with the rest of the survivors.  


Aurelia. The name echoed in his mind, feeling it tug at the strings on his heart.  


When he got home that night, there was a thin red line marked around the ring finger on his left hand. He felt the sting as the mark bound itself to his skin, just like it had to his heart.  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  


The vampire traps weren’t working anymore, Aurelia had decided. She found a few of them destroyed and thus rendered useless. Some of the hex bags had been burned to a crisp, making it evident that someone else had been helping the vampires out lately. She needed to either amp up the dosage or make new traps altogether. Aurelia made her way to the fairy markets in her town a few days after Gervaise had liberated her and the other witches. Aunt Evangeline and Aunt Rose had insisted on her staying home for a while to recuperate and heal some of her cuts and bruises.  


“Aura dear, do you need more healing salve for your arm?” Aunt Rose called from down the hall. Aurelia could already smell the cinnamon to know that Rose was grounding up a stick of it, so she didn’t bother to argue.  


“Yeah, sure. I think it’s almost healed though,”  


“Well then, this will help heal it the rest of the way.” Rose walked by Aurelia’s room on the way to the kitchen, her hands occupied by the giant bowl of salve she was making. Aurelia pulled on her gloves and followed Rose into the kitchen, plopping down into the nearest chair she came by.  


“Are you going out today, hon’?” Rose took a small bit of the mixture between her fingers, absently rolling the small glob to warm it up.  


“Yeah, I’ve got to get more supplies for our traps. The vampires will probably hit our town soon, and I want to be prepared.” Aurelia inhaled as Rose applied the reddish goo to her upper arm. It hadn’t healed as much as she had let on, but she needed to get back to her operation. Some of the others had texted her to see what progress she had been made this week since she got home. She didn’t reply; none of them needed a buzz kill at the moment.  


“I’ll be sure to keep the house warded then, just in case.”  


Aurelia nodded. She gave a hug to Aunt Rose and left, grabbing for the jacket Gervaise had left her with. It was still bloodstained and covered in dust, but it gave her a sense of security she hadn’t felt in a long time. She took the glove off of her left hand, seeing the thin red line that wrapped around her ring finger. The bond had been there since she met the dragon shifter. Right about now she wished she had gotten his name, since he knew hers.  


The fairy markets were packed today. It was getting close to the new moon, and there were many people who were preparing for the rituals. Aurelia recognized a few of the witches as some who were extremely prone to procrastination, which meant they were probably ready to state their intentions to the universe – again.  


“What’s it gonna be for you today, sweet Aurelia?” Locus wheezed. He was the stereotypical creepy old man type, except that he sold crystals. Aurelia didn’t deal with him much, since he was known for forgetting to cleanse his crystals every month. Some spells tended to backfire on others lately, and it was always traced back to Locus. But since he brought in a good sense of revenue to the market, he hadn’t been kicked out yet.  


“Nothing from you, creep. Back off,”  


“Feisty,” Locus licked his lips. “You will be mine, Aurelia.”  


Aurelia pulled off her glove, waving her hand in the air to reveal the bond mark. She swore she could almost hear the grin fall off of Locus’ ugly mug.  


Aurelia settled on another crystal booth, finding a wand made of fire agate, a crystal known for protecting. Aurelia always needed her crystals to be strong and cleansed for when she made the traps. The new moon was coming, meaning that it was almost prime time for her to create new, stronger traps. Aurelia’s fingers traced over a small aventurine gem that was mixed in with the fire agate. She could almost feel her anxieties ebb away.  


“Aurelia, behind you!” She fell it before the words actually reached her ears. She ducked under the booth table and came up on the opposite side, seeing a few thuggish looking fairies just behind where she had been standing. One of them had a slight green tint to his skin, and had multiple thick rings pierced through his lip.  


“Locus wants your business today, missy.” The not-green one growled. He had long, greasy hair that had been braided into one big plait, leaving his pointed ears to stick out of the sides of his head quite noticeably.  


“Tell Locus I’m switching over,”  


“He doesn’t care that you’ve got a mark now, he will have you,” the green one whispered. He lunged for her, prompting Aurelia to grip the table and flip it upwards, hitting the thug in the face.  


Aurelia bolted, some of the fairies moving out of her way with surprised yells. The long-haired one appeared before her, fists up. Aurelia ducked just as he swung, her own fist flying to his crotch. He grunted, but grabbed her hair by the fistful and pulled her to stand up.  


The green thug came up behind her and grabbed her arms, folding them behind her back. Aurelia spat in the long-haired one’s face.  


“That parasite will never get me,” she said before knocking her head back against the green one’s nose, loosening his grip. She kicked out, pushing the greasy one away just enough so that she could run again. She hadn’t made it too far before a third thug hit her with an electric spell. Aurelia dropped, feeling the current blaze through her body and keep her from moving too much. She tried to get herself up again, rising up to one knee. The greasy thug came over while she struggled and his fist met her cheek, dropping her again. She felt sharp pains to her ribs before she passed out, the blackness taking away the pain.  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  


Aurelia’s head hurt when she started to wake. So did everything else for that matter. She felt like her entire aura was black with anger and pain. She felt it radiate off her skin, or maybe that was just the pain. Aurelia’s eyes started to take focus of her surroundings. She was in a hotel room, that was for sure. She was laid out on a large plush bed with all white bedding, and there was a distinctive theme to the room’s colour scheme, of which even the furniture matched.  


“How do you feel?” asked a severely masculine voice. She turned her head towards the bathroom door which had just swung open, bright fluorescent lights and steam pouring out. The dragon shifter, clad in only dark wash jeans, leaned against the doorway. A fluffy white towel was flung over his bare shoulders, and his dark hair was still soaking wet and sticking to his neck and forehead. Aurelia felt a shiver run through her, and she turned away.  


Sure, she had met her fated mate before today. She knew what he looked like. He was tall and muscular, that she could make out from the way he moved when he fought, when he walked. His hair was dark as the night, with a slight wave to it. And his eyes were a dark amber, nearly red hue. They were eyes that had started to haunt her dreams already, ones she would love to get lost in someday (when there was no danger anymore). What she didn’t expect was all of that put together in a half nude display, still shiny and fresh from the shower, and so beautiful. Sure, she had come across some gorgeous men in her time, even had hooked up with a few of them.  


But none of those gorgeous men were her one true mate. And yet here was hers, on display and making his way over to her. She was injured and in pain, and it was not fair. She felt the pull towards him and had to look back at him. It was then that she noticed the bruises and scars peppering his chest and shoulders. They were battle scars to be sure, but it only added to his entire hotness factor. His jawline was covered in a dark five o’clock shadow, not one bit taking away from his chiseled features.  


“I hurt, a lot,” was all she could manage before being overwhelmed in a coughing fit. Her mouth and throat were so dry. The shifter reached over and put a plastic cup into her hand, one of the clear kind that came with a hotel room. The cup was filled with ice water. He helped her to lean up on her left elbow enough so that she could take a hearty drink.  


“Yeah, that’ll happen. Those thugs got in a few good hits before I blasted them,” he said quietly. He helped Aurelia to lay back down, and sat closer to her, still situated on the edge of the mattress. “I’m Gervaise.”  


“Aurelia, but you already knew that,” Aurelia rolled her eyes, her hands coming up to rub her eyes. New bandages were put on her hands and arms where she had been injured previously in the vampire den. She looked down, lifting the bedspread to find her ribs bandaged. She was wearing only her bra and a new pair of shorts from what she could tell. 

“Did you… change me?”  


The shifter, Gervaise, looked away shyly. Aurelia’s heart did a stupid little flip, and he rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, your clothes were covered in dirt and blood. I gave them to housekeeping to deal with, and went out to grab a few new things in case you wanted to change.” He gestured towards the shopping bags sitting on one of the plush grey chairs across the room. “I was respectful, I swear,” he said quickly, putting up his hands in defense.  


“That’s pretty cool, actually,” she murmured, before trying to sit up slowly. Low sounds of pain escaped her lips, despite her efforts. Gervaise leaned over and helped her to sit up, one hand at the small of her back, and other taking her hand gently. Wherever his fingers touched left a trail of fire on her skin. Aurelia clamped down upon her lower lip, trying not to make it known of how he affected her. She wanted to run, to hide, to get out of this situation as soon as she could. She also wanted him to touch her more, to warm her body and drown her in flames.  


“Kind of ironic really.”  


“What is?”  


“A dragon shifter and a fire elemental witch, destined to be soulmates.”  


“I think it’s amazing, really.” Gervaise smiled, revealing perfectly straight, white teeth. Aurelia’s stomach did another stupid flip. She was not going to get out of this easily. “It makes it all the more right, maybe even perfect.”  


“You really believe in all that mumbo-jumbo, don’t you?” She quirked her head to the side, raising an eyebrow inquisitively. She was trying to go for cynical, but really it gave her an excuse to study him further, and check him out. Of course. He really was a specimen, all muscles and scars.  


“Well, the evidence is overwhelming. So how could I not?” he asked, raising his left hand. The angry red line around his ring finger was still there. There was no reason why it would be gone, but it made Aurelia’s heart race still. Gervaise moved closer to her, the hand that was once at the small of her back moving upwards to her shoulder lightly. He moved the hair off of her shoulder, feeling a patch of skin that was surprisingly not covered in bandages. He leaned in and kissed her shoulder, lips leaving a different kind of warmth on her skin.  


Aurelia lifted his chin slightly for him to meet her gaze before closing the small gap between them, lips crashing together in sync. Her eyes closed the moment she felt his lips, her heart instantly wanting to leap from her chest. She gave into the pull between them and slid her hand into his still wet hair.  


Gervaise groaned low in the back of his throat, a type of growl that ignited a fire in Aurelia that she had not felt before. She tipped her head, deepening the kiss and inviting him in more. Gervaise took the invitation enthusiastically, his tongue reaching out to taste her lips. Her own tongue met his, which elicited another one of those growls from him.  


Gervaise reached out, pulling her into his lap so suddenly that she barely had time to protest. He held her close, situating her so that Aurelia was straddling his lap with her thighs. He took a handful of her hair and pulled gently, tipping her head backward. She complied, rewarded with his lips and tongue lavishing at the sweet spot on her neck, just near her chin. The sensation pulled a moan from her throat, the kind that egged the gorgeous man on.  


His touch was fire and electricity all in one, hands gripping her tightly and making the fire in the pit of her belly burn brighter. He moved suddenly again, flipping them so she was laying back on the bed, and he was leaning over her, his body sitting between her thighs. She could feel the hard bulge in his jeans against her center, and she couldn't deny how much she wanted this.  


The soul bonds worked a certain way for a reason. First a touch, so that you knew who your mate was. The longing, a call for the two hearts to be one, to acknowledge the bond. A kiss to claim the bond for real, and finally, going all the way. That was the big one, the final seal on the deal. The moment the couple becomes one: physically, emotionally and spiritually.  


Aurelia could tell that that was where this was going. And fast. She didn't want to stop either, which scared her a bit. And yet, Gervaise’s lips on her didn't scared her at all. He made sure not to lean on her too much, not to put unwanted pressure on her injured (probably cracked) ribs. Aurelia opened her eyes momentarily, finding that his aura was a mix of red and pink, the shades of which meant romantic love and sexual feelings all in one. She gasped.  


Gervaise took her gasp as a sign to keep going, his fingers skimming down her thigh lightly as he caught her lower lip with his teeth. Her previous apprehension gone, Aurelia hooked her thigh around his hip, pulling him closer. He responded by pressing his hardened bulge down between her thighs in a slow rhythm. The moan that came from him was way too sexy, and she stole hungry kisses from his lips just to hear him make that sound again.  


He groaned suddenly, breaking their kiss. Her heart ached the second they split, and he placed his head on her chest as they both tried to catch their breath. “No, not like this,” he said quietly, his words hot against her skin.  


“Why not?” Her words came out like a breathy plea, something she regretted the instant she said it. Aurelia would not be seen as a needy, lust-gripped mate. Sexy was what she was going for, and failed miserably.  


He laughed, “You’re injured,” he said softer than she thought he was capable of. “And I want this to be right. Not in a hotel room when you’re bandaged up. You deserve more than that, better than that.”  


“Better? Have you taken a look at yourself? You’re Adonis incarnate.”  


Gervaise pushed off of her, sitting between her thighs still. Aurelia followed, bracing herself on the bed with her arms at her sides.  
“Trust me, I know the affect I can have on women. But that’s not what I want this to be. I want this to mean forever, to mean that we are ready to be together. I want this to work.”  


“It’ll work,” Aurelia said, her chest still heaving.  


“What makes you think that?”  


“Like you said, the evidence is overwhelming,” she said with a smirk, holding up her left hand that mirrored his own actions from a few minutes ago. The bright red line was all the way around her ring finger. “I don’t trust fate really, but I trust the way my heart beats when I’m with you. The way I feel the pull to you, the call from your soul.”  


Gervaise smiled, lost for words. He leaned in and placed the softest of kisses on her forehead. He kissed her nose next, and before he could place the next one on her lips there was a knock at the door.  


“Housekeeping!” called a feminine voice.  


“Seems that your clothes are clean,” he said humorously, adding in a quiet “Bummer,” at the end before getting up to answer the door. He was right, and came back with Aurelia’s clothes neatly folded in a stack, along with her boots that had been cleared of all the mud and polished until they shone. “We should get out of here soon, I’ll take you to get something to eat.”  


“I’d like that,” Aurelia said softly, hiding a smile. Gervaise responded with a nod and headed over to the bathroom, to continue getting dressed himself. He closed the door, giving her some privacy.  


As soon as Aurelia heard the door click shut, she leaped out of bed, regretting that move immediately. Her ribs complained with a huge rush of pain that bit at her stomach and back, taking some of her breath away. She groaned, before gingerly getting dressed. She tied up the laces on her boots and made her way out of the room slowly, tiptoeing as well as she could with all of her injuries.  


Making it out into the hallway, she ran. Or tried to. Her ribs were hurting so bad that she settled for a light jog out of the building. The hotel was nice, she’d give it that. Grabbing a map on the way out, she rushed to the parking lot, finding only a handful of cars for the picking. She walked up to a light blue Saturn, removing two pins from her hair. She always kept a few on her person for situations like this. Using the pins, she picked the lock on the car door and hopped in the passenger seat. Ripping out the console, she nearly shouted when the hot wiring method worked and the engine roared to live. Aurelia peeled out of the driveway, knowing exactly where she wanted to go.  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  


Gervaise came out of the bathroom to find that Aurelia, his one true mate, was gone. He groaned inwardly, cursing her stubbornness. She had been safe with him, and now that she was gone he almost expected her to be in trouble already. He gathered up the few bags he had with him and left the key cards on the bed, along with payment for the room in cash.  


A light blue Saturn had just left the parking lot when he came outside, leaving a cloud of dust in its wake. Gervaise knew from the pull in his heart that it was Aurelia. Another car, a black van, pulled out from the opposite end of the parking lot and left as well. Gervaise could smell the blood before the vehicle passed him, which prompted him into a run to his own rented car. The vampires were on Aurelia’s tale but now he was on theirs.  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  


Aurelia arrived at the burned shambles of a house within an hour, the once blue paint gone. The one things left were blackened pieces of lumber that hadn’t been picked off by scavengers, and a few steel studs. Everything else was a heaping pile of rubble. Aurelia remembered the day well. She was playing in the woods with her siblings when she heard the explosion.  


Sarah and Aurelia were splashing each other in the river only a few minutes into the forest, Damian sitting on a rock near the shore with a book. His toes were dipped into the cold water, but he didn’t seem to mind. The explosion shook the trees, and they smelled the smoke after a minute.  


“Mama,” Damian said quietly, closing his book. He grabbed his shoes and dashed off, Sarah and Aurelia not far behind him. When they reached the edge of the forest, Damian fell to his knees. Sarah screamed, and Aurelia ran faster toward the burning house.  


“Mama! Mama, no! Mama!” Aurelia screamed, coming closer to the flames than she should have. Damian ran up and grabbed her around the shoulders, pulling her away.  


Aunt Evangeline and Aunt Rose were there within a few minutes. They said they got an eerie call from their sister, and headed straight over. Evangeline took Damian and Aurelia into her arms immediately, and Rose picked up little Sarah, who would not stop wailing.  


Their mother was gone.  


Aurelia fell to her knees in the middle of her burned down home, the very spot where she would sit and help Mama organize all of her stones. Her childhood home, the last place where she had ever seen her mother, became whole in her mind. The walls were the faded blue again, with photographs of Aurelia’s family littering the walls. The old grandfather clock stood in the living room around the faded 80s couches, the kind that were big and comfortable and could fit all of Aurelia’s siblings for a nap. The kitchen was stocked full of herbs and different plants grew in the window sill by the sink. The oak table top was brown and you could still see some of the rings in the middle before it had been painted over a few times.  


There was a staircase near the front door that lead up to their bedrooms. Aurelia and Sarah shared a room, and Damian had his own next door. Mama’s room was across the hallway, right next to the bathroom. Each room had a window looking out towards the forest. Damian was planning on moving up to the attic soon, which meant that Aurelia would take over his room as her own. She was ecstatic at the thought. Damian was only a year older than Aurelia, and Sarah was three years younger than herself. They all had inherited their mother’s dark eyes and hair, which their father once said he was glad for. He had a hair of ginger curls and pale blue eyes. And he wasn’t a witch. That was probably why he died.  


“Pretty girl, pretty pretty…” a raspy voice broke Aurelia out of her daydream, and she saw two vampires creeping around the edge of the house, circling her. She hadn’t even realized when the sun began to set. It was later in the day than she had thought, and had only been sitting for a few minutes. She realized that they couldn’t pass the threshold of the house since she had made a fiery ring for protection around it. She had done it when she was stuck inside her head but knew that it would waver now that she was distracted.  


“Your mate’s going to come looking for you, you know. You reek of him! He’ll come for you, straight to us,” the second bastard hissed, his hoodie coming dangerously close to the flames. He yelped slightly.  


The flames started to sputter, and Aurelia knew that she wouldn’t be able to outrun the two of them to her car. She stood, checking in her pockets for something, anything that would help. There was nothing. The housekeeping staff back at the hotel probably emptied out her stash of herbs, leaving her with nothing to help her hex these beasts.  


“I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” she said not-so-confidently. She felt the fire just beyond her reach, and took a bit into her palm. One of the vampires lunged over the flames when they died down enough, and she shot the fireball at his face. She missed, but it gave her a few seconds of a head start. Aurelia ran towards the woods, taking the trails she once knew so well.  


“Follow the girl,” the first vampire called out, prompting a handful more of the bloody creatures to dash out of their black van.  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  


Gervaise heard their screams as he pulled up to the scene. He saw Aurelia dash from the ruins of a burned down building, and a swarm of vampires follow her into the woods. He saw the bright flashes of fire she threw over her shoulder. There was no doubt that she was using her powers to try and slow them down. He stepped out of his car and began the change, roaring to announce his arrival. His mate was in trouble, and he needed to help her.  


He lifted his wings and flapped, taking him into the air and above the tree line, following the bright flashes and hissing sounds. Aurelia was fending them off alright, but he could tell she was slowing due to her injured ribs. He could hear her ragged breaths, the slight gasps of pain every time she threw a new fireball. One of the bursts hit a younger vamp in the face and he caught on fire instantly, screaming his way to the afterlife. All that was left of him were ashes.  


There was a clearing up ahead. Gervaise banked towards it, pulling his wings into his sides and dive bombing about three of the creatures. He opened his mouth and let the flames that were coming up his throat be free, incinerating the three into ash. That meant that were only two of them left. He turned and followed the scent of dirty blood, running through the wider gaps between the trees.  


Aurelia was slowing, and she saw a clearing up ahead of her. Her foot caught on a root in the dark and she fell, falling on her wrist with a crack. She cried out in pain, biting back a string of profanities that would make her mother roll in her grave. She got up using her good arm, limping her way to an edge. It was the edge of a cliff down to the lake below. The river behind her house eventually made its way there, but she had never gone to the lake herself.  


The two vampires - she thought there would be more than two - came out of the treeline and grinned, yellow teeth baring in the waning light. “Finally, I’ve been waiting to get another taste of witch blood for a long time now.” The first one, the bigger one, struck a chord in her memory.  


“You,” Aurelia breathed, backing up to the edge of the cliff. “You’re the one that caught us.”  


“Smart girl,” he laughed, a dry cackle. “But we wouldn’t have got you if it wasn’t for the help of the fairies. They took care of the traps, and we took care of you.” he moved forward slowly. Aurelia put her hands up, a fireball forming in her hand.  


“Nice try girl, but I’m fireproof.”  


“How? You’ll light up like a bonfire if this touches you.”  


The vampire in question pulled a hex bag out of his pocket. The cloth was stamped with a fairy sigil she knew all too well.  


“Locus.”  


“That’s right. The stupid thing was helping us out all along, he even gave up the location of some of the towns where the shifters settled down.” The vampire said cockily, barely even noticing when his comrade was pulled back into the woods by a powerful set of arms. He inched closer to Aurelia, sniffing the air as he came within steps of her. “The same shifters that birthed your mate.”  


“The dragons,” Aurelia trembled, mostly from pain and only partially from unease. She was seriously considering jumping the cliff just so he wouldn’t get his grimy claws on her. “You killed the dragons?”  


“All but one, sweetheart.” the vampire spat, a wad of blood landing near her boot, causing Aurelia to sift back even more, her heels at the very edge. “And right after I drink you dry, I’m going to kill him too. I’ll be known as the night child who wiped out the dragons.”  


“No you won’t,” a voice said from behind the vampire. Gervaise’s voice. His fist burst through the vamp’s chest, holding a bloody, black thing of a heart. The vampire’s face went slack. Aurelia grabbed the hex bag from his open hand, leaving a single flame in its place. The creature went up in flames and within a minute was ash, even the heart in Gervaise’s hand was a pile of soot. Aurelia fell against Gervaise, letting him pick her up, one arm under her knees. Her head lolled back in exhaustion and he carried her away from the cliff.  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  


Aurelia woke to a cold splash on her face. More of a cold cloth really, but it was cold nonetheless. She was leaning against a large boulder, her wrist and ribs both throbbing in pain and feeling like she was limbless.  


“Oh thank the gods,” said a voice that filled her with warmth. Her eyes focused, finding Gervaise’s amber eyes. He was holding a rag - hopefully part of his shirt - to her neck, the cool water dripping down into her cleavage. She glanced around, seeing the very same river she used to play in as a child. Light was peeking through the trees now, and the sky above held the orange hue of a coming sunrise.  


“My mother died trying to bring her soulmate back from the dead,” Aurelia said quietly. Gervaise looked at her in confusion, taking away the rag and helping her to lean away from the boulder and more against himself. “My father died a year after my sister was born, from a scuffle in the fairy markets. He got caught in the crossfire, and my mother was so grief stricken that eventually she sacrificed herself to try and bring him back home.”  


“I don’t-”  


“I didn’t want that to happen for us, I couldn’t have you in danger because of me.” Aurelia felt a sob catch in her throat, making it hurt. “I couldn’t bare to think of a world without you. And so I ran.”  


“To keep me safe?” Gervaise’s voice was coloured with humor.  


“Yes, is that funny?”  


“Hilarious,” Gervaise said with the biggest smile she had ever seen him with. It was beautiful. Her heart skipped in her chest. “Aurelia, I’m a dragon. I’ll keep you and myself safer than you could ever imagine.” He held her against his chest, her own arms wrapping around him in response. “Don’t leave me like that again. We’re safer together.”  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  


Gervaise took Aurelia back home, home meaning back to Aunt Evangeline and Aunt Rose’s house. Aunt Evangeline opened the door with an expression so fierce that Gervaise was worried she would kill him on the spot. But rather than that, she took Aurelia into her arms and swept her inside, sitting her on a chair at the kitchen table. Gervaise followed, finding himself the center of attention as there were more people than he had anticipated.  


“Aunties, it’s fine. He’s my soulmate,” Aurelia smiled from her chair, Gervaise’s coat draped over her shoulders. The two older ladies, a younger girl and a young man all looked to his hand, which he lifted for them to see. The red line was there, and in a matching place on Aurelia where she showed them. And then there was hugging, lots of hugging.  


“Oh bless!” The smaller of the aunts yelled, clapping her hands ecstatically. “A soul match in the family! I’m so proud.” Gervaise came to know later on that this was Aunt Rose, who was now scurrying around the kitchen. She started muttering about being bad hosts, and how they should celebrate with a good meal.  


“Gervaise, ma’am.” he extended a hand out to Aunt Evangeline, who was pouring a glass of blue potion and handing it off to Aurelia to drink. She took his hand and shook it vigorously.  


“Auntie Eva, but no matter. That’s Damian and Sarah, little Aura’s brother and sister,” she gestured to the two who were already making themselves busy helping Aunt Rose in the kitchen.  


The rest of the night became a whirlwind of activity. Gervaise was eyed by Damian, and taken aside after breakfast in order to have the “If you hurt my sister, I will dehydrate you so quickly that you will be a living husk of a man for days before I let you die” talk.  


Sarah didn’t talk much to Gervaise himself, but passed on whispered messages through Aurelia. He answered her out loud and she smiled. She was shy, but he was sure some day that would pass. He was a new brother to her now. Aunt Evangeline interrogated him all throughout breakfast, asking about his parents, which lead to what he did after the town was attacked, and what he was doing when he met Aurelia.  


“I was tracking the same coven that killed my family. Coincidentally, Aurelia was battling them too. They found her last night.”  


“So you got your revenge?” Damian asked through a mouthful of fried potatoes. Aunt Rose then scolded him for talking with his mouth full, which amused Gervaise immensely. The man was now 25 and still being reminded of proper table manners.  


“I lost all need for revenge when I met Aurelia,” he said, glancing at his mate by his side. She smiled sweetly, pausing her next bite to hear what he was saying next. “That all faded away the moment I saw her. From then on, it was just about keeping her safe.” Gervaise was met with a chorus of ‘Awwwwww’. Aurelia blushed, and Gervaise never thought he would ever see her look more beautiful.  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  


After breakfast, Aunt Evangeline called over a healer friend to tend to the both of them. The healer was tattooed from head to toe in strange symbols, ones that Gervaise would have to ask about later. The healer was an older man, with long white hair and a few missing teeth. Gervaise didn’t have any injuries to tend to, save for a few scratches. The healer tended to Aurelia’s fractured wrist and her ribs, with a spell and a potion that would help the bones to fuse back together stronger, also providing pain relief. The spell took a few hours, but Gervaise sat at Aurelia’s side until it was done, her fingers entwined with his own.  


After she was healed (mostly) they were left alone. Aurelia took that as a queue for a nap, and lead Gervaise to her room. The second he shut the door behind him, Aurelia pushed him up against the door and caught his lips with her own.  


“What about a nap?” He asked mischievously.  


“Nap afterwards, I need you now,” she said between kisses.  


“Are you sure?”  


“With all my heart.”  


Gervaise flipped them so that Aurelia was the one pressed against the door, his left hand holding her neck as he lifted her shirt with the other. He leaned down and kissed her again, slowly. Just as slowly he moved his hand over her stomach, their skin burning wherever they touched.  


“You're mine,” he moaned into her ear, lifting her up and pressing her harder against the door, holding her in place.  


“I'm yours,” she breathed in response, her legs wrapping around him and hooking at the small of his back.  


“And I'm yours,” he put his lips to hers in a searing kiss.  


They were fire. They were pleasure. They were love. And they would happily drown in the flames together.


End file.
